After the Final Dance
by forecastmostlysunny
Summary: Frances 'Baby' Houseman was thinking of a man who had long ago stolen her heart – and who never gave it back. His name was Johnny Castle and she had not seen him since the summer of 1963.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, this is another story I wrote a few months ago, and it will be in chapter format. I'm not sure right now how often I'll update this one – I have not updated my "Titanic" one in awhile. Also, the italics are Baby's flashbacks, just in case you have not already figured it out. Please let me know what you think when you're done reading, of course! :) **

**As usual, I do not own any of the characters in this story, although I wish I did. They belong to the creator of "Dirty Dancing." **

**I try to keep the characters in my story as close as I can to the film, so let me know if someone is "out of character."**

Frances 'Baby' Houseman was just sitting at the local café' in New York. She was thinking of a man who had long ago stolen her heart – and who never gave it back. His name was Johnny Castle and she had not seen him in almost eight years, not since the summer of 1963. She would always remember that summer for many reasons. All of a sudden, a male voice made her turn around.

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Johnny Castle. Baby would know that voice anywhere. At that moment, a million memories started flooding her mind, from the first time she danced with Johnny to the last. And the day they had to say goodbye.

_Baby woke up one morning in late August – it was almost September – and knew that today would be different. Today she wouldn't be going to dance with Johnny, wouldn't be talking to Penny, or sneaking away from her parents to do those things. Today, she would have to say goodbye. To Johnny, to Penny, to Kellerman's, where it all began. Baby didn't know when she would see Penny, Johnny or Kellerman's again, or even if she would, although she wanted to. She thought mainly of Johnny, as she was getting ready for the day, to say goodbye, and leave with the knowledge that she might never be back. Johnny was like nobody she had ever known. He was strong, he was kind, and he made her feel like she was alive. Baby didn't know if she would ever feel that way with anyone else. Her life was supposed to really begin when she went to collage in a few weeks, but looking back, it would seem that her life really started at Kellerman's. _

_Lisa was not upset to be leaving, at least, not compared to Baby. Nor were her mother and father. Had she not met Johnny, Penny, or Billy, Baby wouldn't have been, sad, either. Again, she thought of Johnny and how she didn't want to leave him. He was her first in so many ways and she wouldn't ever forget him or her vacation here, no matter how brief both of them were. Baby finished packing and then it came time to say goodbye. They were next to their car, and Dad and Mom were saying goodbye to Max, and Lisa was saying bye to Billy who promised to write._

_"Well, Baby, thanks for helping me out this summer. I really appreciate it and you don't know what you have done. I'll miss you. You're a great person." Penny said. Baby gave her a hug, told Penny she would miss her as well, and then said bye to Billy. _

_"Baby, thanks for everything this summer. I'm gonna miss you, too." She hugged Billy, told him she'd miss him too, and then faced Johnny. Baby didn't want to say bye to him at all, but she had to._

_"Thank you so much for giving me the time of my life these past few weeks. You mean more to me then you'll ever know and I'm not gonna forget you anytime soon. You also changed me, for the better, and I won't forget that, ever. Which also means I'll think of you when I do." Johnny looked sad, but he was trying not to show it, and smiled sadly at her. He slipped a piece of paper in her hand. "There's my number and a note. Read the note on the way home, and call when you get a chance." Johnny said quietly. Baby's father motioned that it was time to go, and Johnny said goodbye to her mom, dad, and sister Lisa, and then he said goodbye to Baby. They kissed, and then hugged. "See ya." Johnny whispered, and then he opened the door for her, took her hand, and helped her in. It reminded Baby of a time not too long ago, only it was the reverse, and Johnny had been helping her out, setting her free. This time, he was putting her back, and caging her in. Johnny closed her door and they said their goodbyes. Then, the car pulled away and Johnny was getting smaller and smaller until Baby couldn't see him or Kellerman's at all. She read his note on the way home._

_Dear Baby,_

_I'm not good at writing letters, or putting my thoughts on paper, so we'll see how this goes. It's early in the morning and you're sleeping in my bed, where I want to be. I also want to write this letter so you'll have something to remember me by. You changed my life, Baby. You're one of the most optimistic people I know and I'm really glad you decided to help Penny, even thought you didn't know her at all. You will do well in life because you're always helping people. I hope I'm a part of that, but if I'm not, that's okay. I'm just really glad I knew you for this brief period of time. You taught me to respect other people and to stand up for myself and I'll be thankful for that as long as I live, which also means I won't ever forget you. I'll also try my best to make sure we keep in touch and meet again in the near future. I hope you would like to meet later. Also, I love you. Like the song we danced to earlier, I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you._

_Johnny_

_She cried after reading his letter, and then Baby quietly mouthed that she loved him too, even though there was no way he could hear her. She knew her parents wouldn't understand. They would ask how could she be in love after only knowing this guy a week? Baby knew she loved Johnny, and she always would. Not because you don't forget your first love, but because Johnny helped her become the person she always knew she was and she was looking forward to keeping in touch with him. _

Baby didn't keep in touch with Johnny for long. She gave him the address where she was living in college, and they kept in touch for a few months through letters and the occasional phone call. In the end, though, life got in the way and they had not communicated in seven years. Both Johnny and Baby went on to live their own lives, but they never forgot each other.

He still looked the same in so many different ways with his golden hair, and his smile that made her feel like she was the only one in the world that mattered. He had his arms crossed so she could see his left hand and she saw that he had no ring. Johnny was wearing a black shirt, black pants, and black shoes. Typical Johnny. At least, it had been the last time she saw him. 'Times change,' she thought.

"Johnny. Hi. What are you doing here?" Baby didn't want to make it seem like she was not happy to see him, because she was, and she hoped she wasn't sounding rude because she wasn't trying to be. She just wanted answers.

"Well, I'm here for a few days teaching people to dance." He paused before continuing "So… How have you been?"

"I've been really great. How have you been?" She realized then that she still got butterflies around Johnny even though they hadn't seen each other in eight years.

"I've been real good." Johnny replied, and then gave Baby one of his signature smiles that made her melt even after all this time. All of a sudden, his arms were around her, encircling her in a brief hug. It felt wonderful.

"So. How do you like teaching people how to dance?" 'Smooth, Baby, Real smooth. As if you don't already know the answer,' she thought. She did know the answer, or at least, she did eight years ago. Baby would have liked to think that Johnny hadn't changed much in what he liked to do, but he might have. And she also knew that she was not the same young girl he fell in love with in the summer of 1963….

**A/N: I was reading over this, and I have no idea how I wrote this because normally, my writing is way worse than this chapter… And I don't know how I managed to make this so long because all of the chapters for my "Titanic" story are never this long. ****Anyway, let me know what you think, as always! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi. Sorry it's taking me so long to update, but life has been busy. Here's the next chapter and I will update as soon as I can. **

**Also, I'll try to make them as long as the first one, but I don't know how often that will happen. So if you're looking for a story with long chapters, this might not be the story for you. Although I think it's good, I'm just a little biased. **

**A re-cap from the last chapter since it's been so long since I've updated and you might not remember or be too lazy to click the back arrow button ;) Haha.**

_"I've been real good." Johnny replied, and then gave Baby one of his signature smiles that made her melt even after all this time. All of a sudden, his arms were around her, encircling her in a brief hug. It felt wonderful._

_"So. How do you like teaching people how to dance?" 'Smooth, Baby, Real smooth. As if you don't already know the answer,' she thought. She did know the answer, or at least, she did eight years ago. Baby would have liked to think that Johnny hadn't changed much in what he liked to do, but he might have. And she also knew that she was not the same young girl he fell in love with in the summer of 1963…._

"I actually really like teaching people. It's almost better than at Kellerman's because it's not just a summer job and my boss isn't as strict as Max was."

"Who do you teach?" Not that Baby thought he taught women who were only interested in one thing, because they were; she knew Johnny was better than that. But she really did want to know whom Johnny taught, hoping they were not the same kind of people he had taught at Kellerman's.

"Well, I teach mainly anyone who wants to learn, I guess. Kind of like I did at Kellerman's, but it's different. It might not sound that way, but it is. For instance, I don't let anyone get close to me anymore. I let so many people get close to me back then…" Like me, Baby thought. Dies he regret letting me get that close? It was almost as if Johnny could still read her mind because he continued with, "and no, I don't ever regret letting you get that close. You're the only one I let get that close. Sure, I may have slept with a bunch of different women," he said that last part quietly "but I never allowed them to see the real me. I let you see who I really was, Baby, and I don't regret a second of it. Even when we stopped talking."

They sat for a few moments in silence before Johnny asked Baby how she was doing.

"I'm doing well. I work at a magazine and I'm the 'news and events' person. Basically, I write about anything that's going on in the news. Since we're a weekly magazine, I have to pick topics that won't blow over in a few days."

"So… what do you think about the Vietnam War? Johnny asked her.

"I think we need to get our troops out of there before the Vietnamese try to hurt anything else or try and capture any other city. I think that Quong Tri being reduced to nothing is unspeakable! Actually, I think the whole war needs to end ASAP. Far too many American's have been killed." When she asked him what he thought of the war, he said that he agreed with her, that it needed to end soon. But Johnny must not have been too interested in talking about Vietnam because immediately after answering her question, he asked Baby what had happened to her after she lost contact with him.

"Well, I went to college, Johnny, as you know."

"Yeah, I know that, Baby, but what happened between us loosing contact with each other and now?" He must have seen the look of hurt on her face because he quickly added, "Baby, I don't blame you for what happened at all. If anyone, it was me. You were so busy with college and things, and I should have written you more times just to see how you were."

"No, Johnny, please don't blame yourself. I was busy, that is very true, but I should have written you more, too. I guess I just… I don't know why I didn't write you back. It wasn't because I met some new guy at college, or I thought I was better than you. I would have told you if I met someone else and not just left you in the cold, and I never would have thought I was better than you."

"Baby, it's fine." Johnny interrupted her rambling. "You just got busy. I would never accuse you of cheating or thinking you are better than me, although you deserve better than me. It happens to the best of people, the best of relationships. It could happen to anyone. Now, answer my first question that brought us into talking about how we are both to blame for loosing track of each other: What have you been doing between the time we lost contact and now?"

"Well, first of all, Johnny, I do not think I deserve better than you. Please don't belittle yourself by thinking that because it is simply not true in any way, shape, or form." She was hurt that Johnny thought she deserved better than him. She thought she deserved better than Johnny, but telling him this now would only lead to them arguing more, and neither of them wanted that. I'll tell him that later, she thought.

"Fine. But what have you been doing all this time?" He laughed before continuing, "Will you ever answer that question?"

"I'll answer it right now!" She also laughed "I decided to major in economics of underdeveloped countries, although I wasn't too sure what I could do with it, and then I realized I could write for a magazine, so I decided to minor in journalism. That still didn't mean I was guaranteed a job no matter where I applied, but I was really happy when I got a job at the magazine. I was even happier when that job turned out to be for the new section. Anyway, college was really hard, and I don't think I would go back and relive it. Enough about me though. You know I don't like talking about myself. How have you been?"

"I'll tell you if you go out with me tonight." Baby couldn't believe what she was hearing. Johnny actually wanted to go out with her again? "Unless you are seeing someone." Johnny quickly added.

"No, it's okay. I'm not seeing anyone end I would love to go out with you tonight."

"Sounds good. Meet me here at… 6:00? does that sound good? I know it's only four hors away, so if you need more time to get ready…" Johnny teased.

"You know I'm not the kind of girl who spends hours getting ready! 6:00 is fine."

"Okay. See you then." Johnny and Baby hugged again and then parted ways for a few hours.

_This is going to be an interesting night._ Baby thought.

**A/N: Okay, so let me know what you think of this chapter. I tried to make it as long as I could while also not making it too long and I'd neglect my homework. I'll try to update as often as I can, but that might not be too often.**

**Read and review please! They make my day. [= **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! Here's the new chapter. I actually started writing this the same day I posted the second chapter, so we'll see how long it takes me to post and finish it…. I'm hoping to have it done by the holidays. And I'm trying to make my chapters an average of two pages on Microsoft Word so we'll see….**

**Re-cap from the last chapter:**

_"I'll tell you if you go out with me tonight." Baby couldn't believe what she was hearing. Johnny actually wanted to go out with her again? "Unless you are seeing someone." Johnny quickly added._

_"No, it's okay. I'm not seeing anyone end I would love to go out with you tonight."_

_"Sounds good. Meet me here at… 6:00? does that sound good? I know it's only four hors away, so if you need more time to get ready…" Johnny teased._

_"You know I'm not the kind of girl who spends hours getting ready! 6:00 is fine."_

_"Okay. See you then." Johnny and Baby hugged again and then parted ways for a few hours._

This is going to be an interesting night_. Baby thought._

As Baby got ready for her date with Johnny, she wondered what was going to happen. Would she and Johnny fall in love again? Then she realized that she had never really fallen out of love with Johnny, but she wondered if he had fallen out of love with her. _Johnny was my first real love. I might not of been his, but I do know that I won't ever forget him as long as I live, even though I might not see him after tonight._ Baby cursed herself for thinking that. _Why would you think that tonight might be the last time you'll see Johnny? Did anything he said today give you that indication? No. _She was still nervous, though, because she didn't know if she could make him fall in love with her again. Johnny was her first in so many ways and she knew she would never forget him as long as she lived. After a quick glance at the clock showed that it was almost 5:45, Baby quickly left her apartment and headed for the coffee shop and waited for Johnny to arrive. While she was waiting, she thought about Johnny. _No surprise there._ She also thought about work and what she was going to write for her next article. But she thought mostly about Johnny, who finally showed up after about five minutes after she got there.

"Hey." Johnny greeted, smiling. "How have you been since I last saw you… four hours ago?"

"I'm good, how have you been?"

"Good. So, where do you want to go?"

"We could go to the beach. Unless you want to eat dinner first." Baby said, though she was personally too excited to eat much of anything.

"Well, how about we go to dinner for something and then we go to the beach? Isn't that how a date goes? Dinner then something romantic?" Johnny smiled "Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine. Let's go." They stood up to leave. "Ladies first," Johnny said, opening the door for her, which made Baby smile. Johnny was always a gentleman.

They walked to a restaurant that was close to the coffee shop called _Via Bella_ that served mostly Italian food. When they walked in, the hostess seemed to have eyes only for Johnny, so she wasn't too happy when he told her that he wanted a table for two, and put his arm securely around Baby's waist. After sitting down, the waitress took their drink order (two Cokes), brought it back, and then Johnny and Baby began to talk.

"So. You told me that you would tell me about what you've been up to if I went out on a date with you. I'm here so talk."

"What, you mean, you went out on a date just to find out what I've been up to? You don't care about me at all? I'm hurt." Johnny acted like he was actually hurt, even though Baby knew he was joking.

"Funny. No, of course I care about you. But I do want to know what you've been up to all these years. Did you join the Union?"

"Well, if you think I've slept around with several different women, you are very wrong. I have not because I realized, thanks to you, that is not the way to live, always sleeping around." Johnny said. At the moment, the waitress came back and took their food order. After ordering, Johnny continued talking.

"I did join the Union but I told my dad that I really loved dancing, not painting. I told him he could either accept it or not ever speak to me again."

"Well, what happened?" Baby asked when Johnny paused.

"We have not spoken in six years."

"Oh Johnny, I'm sorry." Her voice was laced with real sympathy. Baby couldn't imagine not speaking to her father for that long.

"No, it's okay. He made a choice and he has to live with it. Speaking of fathers, how is yours?"

"Well, things have never been the same between us after that summer, but he's okay. Thanks for asking."

"Baby, I want to ask you a question, but I don't want you to get angry at me." _Like I would get angry,_ Baby thought. At the moment, though, the waitress came back with the food they ordered. They began eating, and after a few minutes, Johnny spoke again.

"May I ask you the question?" Baby nodded and said that she would not get angry.

"Did your father ever like me?"

"Johnny! Of course he liked you!" The question shocked her.

"Did he think I was too poor for you, then? Was that it?" Johnny looked like he was angry, but he kept his voice down because they were in a restaurant and other diners might get upset if they were too loud.

"Johnny, money may matter to my father, but it doesn't matter to me. It never has."

"Okay, well, does your father know that?" Johnny looked at Baby intently.

"I've told him, yes. He said the most important thing was for me to be happy."

"Okay, well, as long as money doesn't matter to you. I didn't think it did, but I haven't seen you in years, so I wasn't totally sure."

They finished eating and Johnny paid the bill. Then, after Johnny held the door open for Baby again, they walked to the beach.

**A/N: As always, let me know what you think, especially if there's anything I can improve on, but please be nice about it. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own any of the characters from _Dirty Dancing_, but I wish I did.**

**A/N: Here's the new chapter. This might be short because I would like to get this chapter posted because it's been several months since my last update….**

Chapter Three Recap…

"_Johnny, money may matter to my father, but it doesn't matter to me. It never has."_

"_Okay, well, does your father know that?" Johnny looked at Baby intently. _

"_I've told him, yes. He said the most important thing was for me to be happy." _

"_Okay, well, as long as money doesn't matter to you. I didn't think it did, but I haven't seen you in years, so I wasn't totally sure."_

_They finished eating and Johnny paid the bill. Then, after Johnny held the door open for Baby again, they walked to the beach._

Johnny and Baby pretty much walked in silence all the way to the beach. Both were thinking of things to talk about, but both were mostly thinking of the past.

Baby was wondering about Johnny and what had actually happened to him since that summer. She also wondered if Johnny cared about her still, even after all these years. She thought Johnny did, but she wondered anyway. She wondered if he loved her – the two had never said some of the three most important words to each other. They had come close, but had always backed down. She loved him, of course, and had loved him for a long time, maybe since the moment they met, even though he hadn't been nice to her to begin with. He thought she was some spoiled rich girl, and he didn't like those kind of people.

Johnny, meanwhile, was wondering about Baby. What had happened to her since the summer of 1963? Did she still care about him? He knew that he loved her, had loved her for some time, although he had never said it to her. He had loved her since the moment they met, although he didn't admit it at the time. She was some spoiled rich chick and he didn't like those kinds of people at all. Did she love him at all? Did he have another chance with her? Johnny wanted to ask Baby all these questions, but something inside him made him stay silent. It was him not wanting to take a chance that she would say something that would destroy his heart. He knew she wouldn't deliberately say anything to hurt anyone, but he still didn't want to hear her answers. At least, not yet.

Finally, they got to the beach.

**A/N: Let me know what you think. I know it's really short, and I'm sorry for that. I'll try to make the next one longer. But again, I wanted to get this posted before it was another three months before I updated. :) **

**Please Read nad Review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Finally, another update. Sorry it's been so long, but I recently started working four days a week, three of which are after school from 5-9 pm. Also, I'm graduating high school on June 6, 2010 and I wanted to get his chapter posted before then. Sorry if this is short….**

**Recap…**

_Johnny, meanwhile, was wondering about Baby. What had happened to her since the summer of 1963? Did she still care about him? He knew that he loved her, had loved her for some time, although he had never said it to her. He had loved her since the moment they met, although he didn't admit it at the time. She was some spoiled rich chick and he didn't like those kinds of people at all. Did she love him at all? Did he have another chance with her? Johnny wanted to ask Baby all these questions, but something inside him made him stay silent. It was him not wanting to take a chance that she would say something that would destroy his heart. He knew she wouldn't deliberately say anything to hurt anyone, but he still didn't want to hear her answers. At least, not yet._

_Finally, they got to the beach._

"So…" Johnny said, trying to make conversation. "What's new with you? How's college?"

"College is good." Baby responded "it's harder than I thought."

"I bet you're doing great, though." Johnny replied. It was moments like that that made Baby feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world.

"Thanks. I'm glad I'm partially done with it, and it's nice to be on summer break."

"No summer school for you?"

"Nope. I did that last year and didn't like it too much."

"Why?"

"Well, would you like to go to school in the summer?" Johnny laughed at this and said no, he probably wouldn't.

"So." Baby continued, "You didn't go to college? Ever?"

"Nope. My parents couldn't afford it, and dancing seemed like a much better option." There were moments that Baby also thought this, though she didn't love it the same way Johnny did and she didn't dare say it aloud.

"So you're doing a show? What's that like?"

"Oh, it's awesome. Everyone in the show is so amazingly talented and they're all a bunch of really great people. You'd like them." Baby was sure she would, but she was also jealous if them because they got to be with him all day-and get paid for it.

"It must be a lot of work though?"

"Yeah, it is. But it's awesome. Want to check out the sets?" She asked if they were allowed to do that after hours, and he said that they wouldn't be, except he was with her.

"It's kind of a long walk, though, are you sure you want to?" Baby responded yes, and they started walking.

Once they got to the theatre, Johnny took a key out and held open the door for Baby, making her inwardly smile. He was always a gentleman. Once they got to the stage, Johnny turned on the lights. The set was beautiful. It was obviously a musical, and the set at the moment was a bedroom scene that reminded her of Kellerman's.

"It's just like Kellerman's, isn't it?" Johnny asked, smiling down at her.

"That's what I was just thinking."

"Do you want to go backstage?"

"Are you sure we're not going to get in trouble?" The last thing Baby wanted to do was jeopardize Johnny's job.

"As long as we don't stay too long and mess anything up, we should be fine."

They went backstage, where it was almost completely dark except for some emergency lights.

"I hate the dark." Baby said out loud, not realizing she had done so.

"You can hold my hand." They were by a dim light, so Baby could see Johnny holding his hand out to her. She gladly took it, and couldn't help but feel chills run up her spine and wondered if Johnny felt the same way.

"You're lucky I trust you to not lead me into a ditch or something." Baby said, laughing.

"I doubt they have ditches in a theatre, baby." Johnny smiled.

"So do you have to be here all the time?" Baby was nervously making small talk, trying not to think too much about Johnny's hand, which reminded her of that summer.

"No, not all the time. But most of the time."

"What's the shoe about?"

"You'll have to come and see it."

They were slowly walking through the set, and they came to the dressing room. Inside, there was every costume one could ever imagine and they all looked so beautiful. Baby was jealous of the people who got to wear such amazing clothes every day.

"We should probably be heading out soon." Baby nodded and he slowly led her out of the theatre.

"So, what did you think?" Johnny asked.

"It was nice. You're really lucky."

"I am, but you're the one who has the better opportunity here. You're going to college and you're going to get a great job and marry dome rich guy."

"Johnny, I'd marry for love, not money. You know that."

"Yeah, but still…" His voice trailed off. "You should probably be going home soon. It's getting late and I don't want you to be tired tomorrow."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Well, do you want to see me again?" Those words made Baby smile really wide.

"Of course I do."

"Then I don't want you to be tired when we meet again tomorrow."

He walked her home and kissed Baby's hand, which he had been holding for the whole walk home.

**A/N: First of all, thanks so much to everyone who put this on Author/Story Alert. That means a lot and I'm really sorry for not updating this story more often. But I'm done with school (pretty much, anyway. I don't have to take any finals, so the only major things I have left of high school are prom and graduation.) so I'll hopefully be able to update more. I am going on a one-week mission trip to Wilmington, North Carolina at the end of June, so I might try to update before that, but you never know…**

**Please R&R and have a nice day! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry I have not updated this in a really long time-I've been busy with high school ending and I also went on that mission trip, which was amazing! Also, I'm not really sure where to go with this story, so if you have any ideas, maybe you could write them in the review? And if I use it, I'll credit you.**

**Also, I got a Netbook for graduation, and it only had WordPad on it for now, so if there are any spelling mistakes, sorry in advance-I sometimes type fast and don't read over my work because I want to post it and I don't want to go crazy making a million edits (sometimes with the storyline as well. Then I always over think things). Anyway, here's the new chapter...**

_"Well, do you want to see me again?" Those words made Baby smile really wide._

_"Of course I do."_

_"Then I don't want you to be tired when we meet again tomorrow."_

_He walked her home and kissed Baby's hand, which he had been holding for the whole walk home._

Baby thought about Johnny long after they parted. She couldn't help but think that fate had something to do with this, and even though she was an optimistic person, she never really knew if she was going to see Johnny again. Memories of that summer floated though her mind, and they were mostly good ones-the final dance in front of everyone, the first time they met, the first time they kissed, danced together, had sex. But they were also bad, too-the time they had their first fight (even though it didn't last long), the day they said goodbye, not knowing if they would meet again. That day had been really bad and she remembered thinking that the car ride had been much longer going home. If someone had told Baby that she was going to meet the man of her dreams, and not know if she would ever see him again, she would have laughed and told them they were crazy.

It did seem crazy, looking back on it, and Baby couldn't believe it happened to her. She tended not to believe people when they said they were in love with somebody they only knew for a few days or weeks, but she now believed them. _Does that mean I'm in love with Johnny? Is there any chance he loves me, too? Should I ask him? Why haven't we said it yet, if we do in fact, love each other? _Baby decided that she would talk to Johnny, but not right away, or even today. She didn't want to make anything awkward between them and ruin whatever they had now. _What do we have? Is it the same as that summer? Even if Johnny doesn't think so, I think I'll always love him and I'll always remember that summer. Are we a couple, or a couple of people? What's the difference? Would Johnny like to rekindle the flame of that summer? I should probably talk to him about this, but I don't want to ruin anything... But he did hold and kiss my hand. You don't do that with people you're only friends with. At least, I hope not, because that would be some weird friendship._

Previous agreement meant that Baby and Johnny were supposed to meet in the center of town at 2pm. Seeing that it was 1:30, and it took about 30 minutes to get there, Baby decided she should leave now or be late.

Baby kept thinking about her and Johnny, even when she got to the center of town and saw him standing with a bouquet of roses in his hand and a huge smile on his face.

**A/N: Okay, I know my updates are never that long, and I know this one is really short. But I wanted to get something up and posted before school starts on August 23rd. I'm going into my first year of college, and sorry if updates are not that fast-even less frequent than normal... Again, sorry. I'll try to make them longer, but I'm lacking insparation for this story. Also, I could put two chapters into one and make them longer, but I just want to update it. Please review! :)**


	7. AN

**Hi. I really hate to be doing this, and I'm sorry this story hasn't been updated in awhile, but I'm going to put this story on hiatus. I'm sure for everyone reading thsi story-a grand total of three people? Maybe?-this isn't so great...**

**I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this, and I don't want to waste my time if nobody is going to read what I write. That may sound selfish, but if the roles were reversed, wouldn't you feel the same? **

**Also, I'm starting my first semester in college on Monday and I have a feeling I'm going to be busy, at least for awhile. **

**In addition, I'm not totally sure what I'm doing with this story anymore, and I'm loosing inspiration and ideas.**

**If you want me to continue with this story, please let me know. I may be publishing other stories, but probably not for _Dirty_**_** Dancing.**_** (Random fact: Did you know that this film came into theatres on August 21, 1987?) If you have any ideas, please let me know-any ideas you may have is better than mine…**

**I plan on updating my _Titanic_ story sometime soon, for anyone reading that.**

**Have a great rest of the summer and take care! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I know this is supposed to be on hiatus, but I'm on Thanksgiving break and saw that Jennifer Grey won DWTS. (Congrats!) So, I thought, why not update this little story? It's short, I know that, and I'm sorry. But I think once you read it, you'll see why… **

_Previous agreement meant that Baby and Johnny were supposed to meet in the center of town at 2pm. Seeing that it was 1:30, and it took about 30 minutes to get there, Baby decided she should leave now or be late._

_Baby kept thinking about her and Johnny, even when she got to the center of town and saw him standing with a bouquet of roses in his hand and a huge smile on his face._

Seeing Johnny standing there, smiling with flowers was enough to make Baby smile back like a schoolgirl with her first crush. Though, Baby knew, this was more than a crush. At least for her, and she wanted to ask Johnny what he thought soon.

Pushing her doubts away, she ran to Johnny, who picked her up in his arms and spun her around. It was like they hadn't seen each other in years, and people walking by smiled at them. Johnny gave her the flowers, and kissed her on the cheek.

"So," he said "long time, no see, huh?"

"Oh, don't I know it."

"So, where do you want to go? What do you want to do?" Johnny asked, and she could tell that he did not care what they did.

"Um… this is going to sound really… cliché, but I don't really care what we do as long as I'm with you." Baby blushed, and was afraid to meet Johnny's eyes.

"Yeah, somehow I thought you might say that. I can't say I care what we do, either."

"We make decisions well, don't we?" Baby teased.

"Oh, yes, we sure do." Johnny paused "How about we just walk around and see where today goes? If that's okay with you. Unless you've suddenly had an idea on what you want to do…"

"Nope. Walking around is fine."

"Well then," Johnny said, offering me his arm "shall we?" She smiled and looped my arm through his as they started walking down the street. They did not say much to each other, and the silence was not awkward at all, which felt really nice.

"So, Baby," Johnny said, breaking the silence after a couple blocks "I know we have not been in touch over the years, and I don't know what you're like now, but is there something you want to talk about?"

"What… How did you-" Oh, he was good.

"I don't know. I just guessed. You seemed deep in thought or something, and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do."

"Well, we can talk about it now or later. I don't want to ruin the mood we are in, though."

"Well, what is it about? Do you have a boyfriend or something, and you didn't tell me?"

"No, nothing like that…."

"Well, then, what? Whatever it is, you can tell me, Baby."

"It's just…" She could tell Johnny was getting worried and would assume the worst if she didn't start talking. "I know we had this discussion before, but… did you love me back then?"

"What brought that up?"

"I don't know. I was just wondering….. Because I loved you then, and I love you now. People might say I'm too young to know what true love is, and maybe they're right, but I know what I feel. I don't expect you to say the same, but I thought you should know.

"Wow. Um…" There was a bench near them, and Johnny motioned for her to sit down.

"Yeah, I wasn't trying to freak you out or anything, Johnny, really I wasn't." Baby was now really nervous to hear his reaction and hoped it wasn't too bad. "I'm so sorry if I-"

"No, Baby, it's okay. I'm just trying to put into words what I'm trying to say."

"It's okay. If I've scared you, it's okay."

"No, Baby, you have not scared me. Not even close." Baby was looking everywhere except at Johnny, so when he put his hand on her face and turned it towards him, she wasn't surprised.

**For once, this was intentionally short, because I wanted to leave if at a cliffhanger, Let me know what you think and if you want me to update this again.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi! I've been getting some story alerts-thanks so much for those!-so I thought I would update. But with the alerts, I'm still not getting many reviews, so please review! Even if it's bad, I still want to know.**

_"No, Baby, it's okay. I'm just trying to put into words what I'm trying to say."_

_"It's okay. If I've scared you, it's okay."_

_"No, Baby, you have not scared me. Not even close." Baby was looking everywhere except at Johnny, so when he put his hand on her face and turned it towards him, she wasn't surprised._

"Before you, I had never been… I've never felt the way I did with you before. I wasn't sure back then if I was in love, but looking back, I realize that I was in love. Maybe I knew it then, but didn't want to admit it."

"Oh." Baby was too stunned to respond, even though she had just bared her soul to him moments earlier. She ha always wanted to believe that he felt the same way she did, but now that he actually said it, Baby didn't know what to say.

"You were like coming up for fresh air, like I was drowning and you saved me."

"Wow. You have a way with words, Johnny." Baby said, trying-and failing-not to cry. Johnny reached up and brushed her tears away.

"I wasn't trying to make you cry."

"It's not hard, you know me. It doesn't take much at all to make me cry" Johnny smiled at that, and then kissed the tracks of her tears, then her mouth. Baby hadn't actually kissed anyone in a long time, so she was kind of caught off guard. Still, she found it really hard to not kiss him back.

They stood on the street, getting lost in the memories, for several moments. Johnny pulled away first, and Baby's eyes were still closed.

"I see nothing has changed." Johnny teased.

"What do you mean?"

"You're still head-over-heals for me, just like you were back then."

"Of course I am. I always will be." He smiled softly "I mean it. Even if you up and leave, I'll always love you. We can't choose who we fall in love with, and I don't think we can ever stop being in love. At least, intentionally."

"And you said I had a way with words." Johnny smirked.

**So as I'm writing this, I'm also killing time before the new episode of **_**Grey's Anatomy**_** starts-I have about 15 minutes. *happy dance* It's been on hiatus, so I'm really looking forward to it. If you caught the quote that was said in the show, please let me know! **

**Also, I was originally going to have someone from Johnny's past come in, but then I realized that would be mean, and I didn't really want to write it. I'm going to end this story soon, because I'm loosing inspiration, and I don't think there's a whole lot I can do, realistically. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hi! So I know it's been a really long time since I've updated this, and I'm really sorry. As I'm writing this note right now, I'm going to have this be the last chapter, partly because I like even numbers, but mostly because I have no idea where to go with this and should therefore end it. Thanks for reading!

Baby and Johnny continued walking along, mostly in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They tried not to think about each other, but it didn't work.

"Sooo…." Johnny said, attempting to break the silence that had fallen upon them. Not that it was awkward silence, but talking was better.

"So." Baby said, raising her face to meet his eyes. Eyes, she realized, she still got lost in, even though it had been a very long time. "Maybe I'm rushing into this too fast, but what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" Johnny looked at her like she was crazy. Maybe I am, Baby thought.

"I mean, I don't want it to be eight years before we see each other again." The words came out in a rush, like if she didn't say them all right now, she wasn't ever going to be able to, and for some reason, she could not meet Johnny's eyes. "I understand if you have other obligations and you have to leave, but I would like to keep in touch with you, like we did when I first went to college, except I'm not in college so we might have a better chance of actually staying in touch."

"Ya know, it's funny you should mention that." Johnny smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. "They offered me a full-time job at the studio so I can teach people to dance and make good money doing it. Better money than I made at Kellerman's. So, you and I could see each other more often if you want. I… want to be with you, Baby. I never should have let you go all those years ago, and I know you said you were busy, but still. I should have fought harder."

"Johnny…"

"Look, you don't have to say anything right now, I just, I can't imagine my life without you in it in some way. When I met you, I realized that all the clichés about falling in love were true. I want to be with you, and if you don't want to be with me, that's okay, I completely understand." His eyes were full of doubt, doubt that she would ever pick him when she could probably have any guy she wanted.

Baby could have most any guy she wanted, but she didn't want any other guy. She never had, not since that summer of 1963 when a handsome dancer literally swept her off her feet and she never looked back. She hadn't wanted to. Johnny made her happy, and she should have fought harder for them when she was in college. Maybe school was a legitimate excuse, but that didn't mean she had to suddenly just stop talking to Johnny – letters and phone calls would show that she cared for him. Not that she didn't care, but she could – and should – have tried harder.

"Johnny, I don't know what the future will hold. but I want to be with you. I should have tried harder with you in college. And I think, if you want to, we could start over. Only this time, there's no distance, no college separating us from being together. I don't know what's going to happen with us, but if we don't find out, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I love you, Johnny. I've loved you since I was 17 and you taught me how to dance."

Johnny, for his part, looked like he was overcome with emotion. Not that he was going to cry, Johnny never cried, but he looked really happy.

"You make me really happy, and I want to be with you, Baby. You're right, we don't know what is going to happen a year or two from now, but if we don't give it another shot, I'm going to be regretting it right along with you."

With that, he pulled me into a hug so tight I could hardly breathe, but in a good way. Then he brought his lips down to mine, kissed my lips, my cheeks, and my hand, before spinning me around.

Our fingers were intertwined as we walked down the street and headed off into the sunset.

A/N: So there you have it. I realize it's a little rushed, but I really don't know where to go with it. I guess I could show what their lives are like a year or two down the road, but again, I have no idea what to write for that. I hope the ending wasn't too cliché or rushed, but of course they're going to end up together.

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this sorry and put it on his or her alerts list – that is really sweet and it means a lot. **


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